Trains
I grew up riding trains and still do whenever possible. These pictures are a fond look at trains and a bit of local railroad history.
Trains defined early Albuquerque. In 1879, the first tracks were laid two miles east and uphill from the original town settlement (what became know as Old Town) to avoid seasonal floodwaters of the Rio Grande. New Town became the City center as it is today. A vibrant freight and passenger era continued for decades. Today, only a few freight trains serve Albuquerque from the south. There is no freight service north of the City. Limited rail passenger service continues through Albuquerque from Chicago to Los Angeles with daily service in each direction on Amtrak's Southwest Chief. (Sadly, because of the public health crisis, Amtrak recently announced plans to reduce service to three days each week.)
From early through mid-20th Century, Albuquerque was one of three primary maintenance facilities for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. The extensive Railyard shops rebuilt up to forty steam engines a month during World War II and had a workforce of over 14,000, by far the biggest employer in New Mexico. When ATS&F switched to diesel engines in the mid-fifties, maintenance shops were located elsewhere. The Albuquerque Railyard first declined and then closed entirely. The City now owns the property and is refurbishing and re-purposing the facility as a community center of shops and event spaces. I was one of several artists invited to visit the Railyard in the Fall of 2018 to record the facility before renovation work began. Years of neglect, decay and vandalism are apparent.
Cross country passenger service bypassed Santa Fe because of the steep grade to the Capital city. The nearest station is at Lamy, New Mexico, eighteen miles to the south (named for Bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy of Willa Cather's Death Comes To The Archbishop fame). A spur line served Santa Fe passengers. Decades later, the Santa Fe & Southern Railway renewed that route for tourists. While it gamely operated for a number of years it was not economically viable. Idle SF&S equipment, some of which is shown here, is stored at Lamy. A group of investors including George R. R. Martin, a Santa Fe resident and author of Game of Thrones have recently announced plans to revive the line.
The Southwest Chief and some of the idle Santa Fe & Southern stock recall the heydays of passenger rail service in the Santa Fe area.
Read MoreTrains defined early Albuquerque. In 1879, the first tracks were laid two miles east and uphill from the original town settlement (what became know as Old Town) to avoid seasonal floodwaters of the Rio Grande. New Town became the City center as it is today. A vibrant freight and passenger era continued for decades. Today, only a few freight trains serve Albuquerque from the south. There is no freight service north of the City. Limited rail passenger service continues through Albuquerque from Chicago to Los Angeles with daily service in each direction on Amtrak's Southwest Chief. (Sadly, because of the public health crisis, Amtrak recently announced plans to reduce service to three days each week.)
From early through mid-20th Century, Albuquerque was one of three primary maintenance facilities for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. The extensive Railyard shops rebuilt up to forty steam engines a month during World War II and had a workforce of over 14,000, by far the biggest employer in New Mexico. When ATS&F switched to diesel engines in the mid-fifties, maintenance shops were located elsewhere. The Albuquerque Railyard first declined and then closed entirely. The City now owns the property and is refurbishing and re-purposing the facility as a community center of shops and event spaces. I was one of several artists invited to visit the Railyard in the Fall of 2018 to record the facility before renovation work began. Years of neglect, decay and vandalism are apparent.
Cross country passenger service bypassed Santa Fe because of the steep grade to the Capital city. The nearest station is at Lamy, New Mexico, eighteen miles to the south (named for Bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy of Willa Cather's Death Comes To The Archbishop fame). A spur line served Santa Fe passengers. Decades later, the Santa Fe & Southern Railway renewed that route for tourists. While it gamely operated for a number of years it was not economically viable. Idle SF&S equipment, some of which is shown here, is stored at Lamy. A group of investors including George R. R. Martin, a Santa Fe resident and author of Game of Thrones have recently announced plans to revive the line.
The Southwest Chief and some of the idle Santa Fe & Southern stock recall the heydays of passenger rail service in the Santa Fe area.
